'No great leap for a man but a leap in the dark' discuss this quotation with respect to Bilbo's decision not to kill Gollum and his new found courage?

Answer 1

For one thing, to my recollection, Bilbo never decidedthat he wouldn't kill Gollum. I don't think the thought barely crossed his mind. Although he did have a little bit of new found courage, which was probably the result of his discovering the magical Ring. "No great leap for a man, but a leap in the dark." It doesn't seem to have much metaphorical meaning behind it. Bilbo made an attempt to leap over Gollum, who was sitting in the middle of the path. Of coursre it was no great leap for a man -- Bilbo was no man, he was a three-foot-and-a-half-tall hobbit. And it was definitely a leap in the dark, the pitch black dark.